Voting rights activists bring 'DC Vote' message to Montana

By Maggie Plummer

PABLO - Did you know that U. S. citizens who live in this nation's capital cannot vote?

Among those people with no vote are some 23,261 Native American people who live in Washington, D.C., according to 2006 census data.

In all, more than a half million Americans - mostly minorities - have no voting representation in Congress, even though they pay the second highest federal taxes in the country.

As part of a public awareness campaign to spread the message of Washington, D.C.'s disenfranchisement, staff members from the organization "DC Vote" traveled around western Montana recently. Those travels included Pablo, and the Char-Koosta News office.

Jaline Quinto, DC Vote Communications Associate, and Kevin Kiger, DC Vote Communications Director, were visiting several states where Senate members have been blocking the DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257). The idea behind the DC Vote effort is to educate constituents about the bill, reach out to media, and engage potential supporters.

In Montana, they made stops in Missoula, Butte and Pablo.

According to them, Senator Max Baucus (D-Mt.) is against the bill, but Senator Jon Tester is supportive of it.

The DC Voting Rights Act is a bipartisan consensus bill that would grant District residents one voting member in the House. The District of Columbia currently has a "delegate" to Congress who is able to serve on and vote with committees, as well as speak from the House floor. However, the delegate is not permitted to vote on final passage of legislation.

Last April, the bill passed the House of Representatives 241-177.

Last May, Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) introduced the DC Voting Rights Act in the Senate. The bill passed in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs with broad bipartisan support, 9-1.

But last September, although a majority of the Senate voted to move the bill to a final vote, 57-42, a minority of Senators led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), were able to maintain a filibuster.

The folks from DC Vote are hoping that people will write to Baucus about this. According to his website, Baucus turns to his D.C. staff for help with legislation.

To contact Baucus at his D.C. office, write to him c/o 511 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510. The office phone number there is (202) 224-2651 or 1-800-332-6106 (from Montana).

To email him, go to his website at http://baucus.senate.gov/ and click on the "contact us" link.